Sleep inducing device



July 21, 1959 2,895,468

D. M. SHORT SLEEP INDUCING DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5/ FIG. .z

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July 21, 1959 Filed Jan. 25, 1957 D. M. SHORT 2, SLEEP mnucmc DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

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United States Pate 2,895,468 SLEEP INDUCING DEVICE Doris M. Short, Stamps, Ark. Application January '25, 1957, serial No. 636,330 4 Claims. (Cl. lea-s3 This invention relates to attachments for beds, and more particularly to a sleep-inducing device adapted to be attached to a bed to oscillate the bed and thus induce sleep for the occupant.

The main object of the invention is to pfovide a novel and improved sleep-inducing device which is simple in construction, which involves relatively few parts, and which can be easily attached to a conventional bed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved sleep-inducing attachment for a bed, said attachment being inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, and providing a restful oscillating motion which gently vibrates the bed and relaxes the occupant thereof so as to rapidly induce sleep.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved sleep-inducing attachment for a bed, said attachment being relatively compact in size, being arranged so that it may be adjusted to fit onto beds of various sizes, and which provides a gentle oscillatory movement of the mattress of the bed so as to provide a highly relaxing and sleep-inducing eifect for the occupant. 7

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan view of an improved sleep-inducing attachment constructed in accordance with the present invention, including a portion of a bed, shown in dotted view.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the attachment of Figure 1, partly in transverse vertical cross section, and showing, in cross section, a portion of a bed to which the sleep-inducing device is attached.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional detail view taken on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the adjustable frame element, forming part of the sleep-inducing attachment of Figures 1 to 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view, showing a modification of the sleep-inducing attachment of the present invention, adapted to produce substantially vertical reciprocation, in place of the substantially horizontal reciprocation provided by the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 6.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 to 6, the sleep-inducing attachment is designated generally at 11 and comprises a pair of spaced horizontal longitudinal supporting bars 12, 13 provided at their forward ends with laterally projecting apertured lugs 14 and 15 through which extend vertical supporting legs 16 and 17, and provided at their rear ends with vertical apertures through which extend vertical supporting legs 18 and 19, the supporting legs being fastened in their 2 apertures in any suitable manner, as by the provision of clamping screws 20, whereby the bars 12 and 13 are secured at "an adjusted height, in accordance with the height of the bed with which the device is to be employed.

Thus, as she'wn in Figiire 2, the forward ends of the bars 12 and 13 are provided with rectangular, downwardly facing hook-like bracket members 22 and 23 engageable on the top marginal portion of the vertical longitudinal side frame member 24 of a conventional bed 25 to secure the bars 12 and 13 to said side frame member in positions extending perpendicular thereto, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Transversely secured on the intermediate portions of the bars 12 and 113 is a horizontal supporting plate 26 on which is mounted an electric motor27. The shaftof the motor 27 is provided with a relatively small pulley 28 which is coupled by a belt 29 to a relatively large pulley 30 secured on one end of a transverse shaft 31 journaled on brackets 32 and 33 mounted respectively on the bars 13 and 1 2, as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the bearing brackets 32 and 33 rotatably support the respective end portions of the transverse shaft 31, and the large pulley 30 is mounted on the end of the shaft outwardly adjacent the longitudinal bar member 13. Secured on the end of the shaft 31 outwardly adjacent the longitudinal bar member 12 is a relatively small pulley 34 which is coupled by a belt 35 to a relatively large pulley 36 mounted on the end of another transverse shaft 37 journaled in bearing brackets 38 and 39 secured respectively on the longitudinal bar members 12 and 13. Secured on the shaft 37 outwardly adjacent the bar ir'iei'rr ber 13 is a crank disc 40 which is formed with a phirality of radially aligned, spaced apertures 41. Pivotally connected to the crank disc 40 at a selected aperture 41 is one end of an adjustable link bar 42, said link bar comprising a pair of sections 43 and 44 which are adjustably connected together. Thus, the section 44 may be provided with spaced apertures 45 and the bar 44 may be connected to the bar 43 by a pair of longitudinally spaced bolts 46, 46 extending through the bar 43 and through selected apertures 45. j

The end of the bar segment 44 is pivoted to a side bar 47 of an adjustable frame member 48, adapted to be engaged on the spring unit of the bed 25 between said spring unit and the mattress, shown at 49 in dotted view in Figure 2. Thus, the frame 48 comprises the longitudinally extending side bars 47 and 50, each comprising an angle bar, as shown in Figure 6, the top flanges of the side bars 47 and 50 being adjustably connected by a pair of transverse, adjustable cross bars 51, 51, each cross bar comprising a pair of overlapping bar segments 52 and 53 provided with spaced apertures 54 and fastened together in overlapping relationship by a pair of bolts 55, 55 extending through selected pairs of registering apertures 54 in the bar members 52 and 53.

The side bar 47 is provided with the opposing apertured pivot brackets 56, 56 between which the end of the crank bar segment 44 is received and is pivotally connected, as by a transverse pivot bolt 57.

As will be readily understood, the device is attached to the bed by suitably adjusting the frame 48 to receive the spring unit of the bed, the frame 48 being placed between the spring unit of the bed and the mattress 49 thereof, so that the spring unit is received in the enclosure defined between the depending flanges of the angle bars 50 and 47 of the frame. The longitudinal bar members 12 and 13 are then engaged with the side frame member 24 of the bed in the manner illustrated, and the crank bar 42 is then attached to the frame 48 by being pivotally connected between the apertured pivot brackets 56, 56.

When the motor 27 is energized, its torque is transmitted through the respective coupled pulleys 28, 30 and 34, 36 to the crank disc 40, and is thence transmitted by the crank bar 42 to frame 48. As will be apparent from Figure 2, the rotation of the crank disc 50 causes the frame 48 to be oscillated in a substantially horizontal direction, providing corresponding horizontal oscillation of the mattress 49, and producing a gentle, sleep-inducing oscillating effect on the occupant of the bed.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, vertical oscillation of the mattress 49 may be obtained by positioning the motor supporting frame parallel to the bed, namely, with the crank disc 40 arranged adjacent and parallel to the side frame member 24 of the bed, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The disc 40 is then connected to the frame 48 by an adjustable link bar 60 which is arranged almost vertically, as shown in Figure 8, and converts the torque to a vertically reciprocating succession of impulses applied to said frame 48.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the adjustable crank bar 60 comprises a pair of telescoping sections, consisting of a sleeve member 61 pivotally connected at 62 to a selected aperture 41 of the crank disc 40, and a rod 63 telescopically received in the sleeve 61, the rod 63 being pivotally connected between the angle brackets 56, 56 by the pivot bolts 57. A set screw 64 is provided on the sleeve member 60 which clampingly engages the rod 63 and secures said rod in adjusted position in the sleeve 60.

As will be readily apparent, rotation of the transverse shaft 37 causes the disc 40 to rotate, and the crank bar 61 thereby reciprocates the frame 48, providing vertical oscillations of the spring unit of the bed and also of the mattress supported thereon.

While certain specific embodiments of an improved sleep-inducing attachment for a bed have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it 'will be understood that various modifications Within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a bed having a spring assembly, a frame, a plurality of vertical supporting legs adjustably secured to said frame, a motor mounted on said frame, a crank disc, means drivingly coupling said motor to said .crank disc, and a link arm connecting said crank disc to said spring assembly and being formed and arranged to oscillate said spring assembly responsive to rotation of said crank disc.

2. A sleep-inducing attachment for a bed of the type having'a'frame, a spring assembly mounted on the frame, and a mattress on said spring assembly, said attachment comprising a support, a plurality of vertical supporting legs adjustably secured to said support, means connecting said support to the bed frame, a motor mounted on said support, a crank disc journaled on said support, means drivingly connecting said motor to said crank disc, a crank arm pivotally connected to said crank disc, and means connecting said crank arm to the upper portion of the bed spring assembly.

3. A sleep-inducing attachment for a bed of the type having a frame, a spring assembly mounted on the frame, and a mattress on said spring assembly, said attachment comprising a support, a plurality of vertical supporting legs adjustably secured to said support, means connecting said support to the bed frame, a motor mounted on said support, a crank disc journaled on said support, means drivingly connecting said motor to said crank disc, a generally rectangular frame-like member engaging over the bed spring assembly and receiving the upper portion of said spring assembly, and a link arm connecting said crank disc to said frame-like member and being formed and arranged to oscillate said spring assembly responsive to rotation of said crank disc.

4. A sleep-inducing attachment for a bed of the type having a frame, a spring assembly mounted on the frame, and a mattress on said spring assembly, said attachment comprising a support, a plurality of vertical supporting legs adjustably secured to said support, means connecting said support to the bed frame, a motor mounted on said support, a crank disc journaled on said support, means *drivingly connecting said motor to said crank disc, an

adjustable, generally rectangular frame-like member engaging over the bed spring assembly between the spring assembly and the mattress of the bed and having depending flanges at its opposite margins receiving the upper portion of the bed spring assembly therebetween, and a link arm connecting said crank disc to said frame-like member and being formed and arranged to oscillate said spring assembly responsive to rotation of said crank disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Tilda 

